BIRDS OF ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY, URUGUAY, AND CHILE 245 



and tail were prominent in flight. The bird taken was in active 

 pui-suit of some insect over the rocks. The specimen is in partial 

 molt on the head. 



FURNARIUS RUFUS RUFUS (Gmelin) 



Merops rufus Gmelin, Syst. Nat., vol. 1, pt. 1, 1788, p. 465. (Buenos 

 Aires. ) 



The typical form of the ovenbird, characterized by large size 

 (wing 96.3-104 mm. in a series of 16 specimens), and by general 

 grayish tone in color, ranges from the Province of Buenos Aires 

 north into Uruguay and in Argentina as far as the Chaco. It was 

 recorded and collected as the following points : 



Berazategui, Buenos Aires, June 29, 1920 (adult female taken) ; 

 Santa Fe, Santa Fe, July 4; Dolores, Buenos Aires, October 21; 

 Lavalle, Buenos Aires, October 23 to November 15 (two adult 

 males, shot October 30) ; Lavalle to Santo Domingo, Buenos Aires, 

 November 16; Montevideo, Uruguay, January 9 to 16, 1921 (in 

 parks and outskirts of the city) ; La Paloma, Uruguay, January 23 ; 

 San Vicente, Uruguay, January 25 to 31 (two immature males, shot 

 January 26, and one adult male, January 29) ; Lazcano, Uruguay, 

 February 3 to 9 (immature female, taken February 6) ; Eio Negro, 

 Uruguay, February 14 to 19 (immature male, shot February 15) ; 

 and Guamini, Buenos Aires, March 6 and 7 (a male taken March 6). 



Specimens from Uruguay are very slightly darker than those 

 from Buenos Aires, but are the same size as birds from near the 

 type-locality. During summer the plumage of this bird through 

 wear, becomes considerably lighter, especially on the underparts, 

 than when it is in fresh winter feather. 



Through the pampas of Buenos Aires the ovenbird is restricted 

 to the neighborhood of scattered groves of trees, and as these are 

 usually located about houses the bird is one of the most domestic 

 and beloved of Argentine birds. It is recorded south to Bahia 

 Blanca, but in western Buenos Aires it is rare so that I was inter- 

 ested in obtaining it at Guamini. Though groves of tala, coro- 

 nillo, and other trees Avere common near the Rio de la Plata in 

 the early settlement of the Province of Buenos Aires, tremendous 

 expanses of open plain were wholly without cover for birds that 

 sought the shelter of trees. With the settlement of the country, 

 eucalyptus were introduced and, with native species of trees, were 

 planted in groves about the estancia houses, so that now one is 

 seldom out of sight of them in crossing the pampa. As this has 

 increased the shelter available, the effect must have been to increase 

 the numbers of certain birds, among them the present species. It 

 was interesting to note their occurrence in scattered tree clumps 



